Ne.Code() Career Search Trends

I was excited to attend Nebraska.Code() this summer. It's a great conference that provides several workshops, breakout sessions, and keynote speakers in the tech field here in Nebraska. Shyft Solutions has been a supporter and sponsor of Nebraska.Code() for 5 years, and each year we take the opportunity to get to know the many attendees and obtain feedback on a myriad of topics. This year we focused on how the tech workforce goes about searching and applying for new positions.

The Survey

To get attendee buy-in, we passed out swag items in exchange for a quick survey about job searching. The survey asked attendees the following questions:

• What brings you to the conference today?
• How did you find your current job?
• What job board(s) do you utilize when searching for a job?
• What was the most important factor in your decision to apply for your current job?
• How important is the ability to work remotely and/or a flexible hybrid?

When it was all said and done, we had 49 attendees participate in our survey. Those that participated received one of our Shyft t-shirts! In addition to being able to chat with all the participants, the results of the survey also proved to be incredibly interesting.

The Results

First and foremost, I wanted to know what the driving factor was for conference attendance. While the majority of participants cited workshops and speakers as the primary reason for attendance, there were also responses on networking and job searching, etc.

What brings you to the conference today?

When describing how participants found their current job, most cited that they applied directly to their company's website, versus searching via a job board. I found this to be the most interesting and telling answer, as it showed that the majority of participants already had in mind the company they wanted to work for. The other arenas that they used in their job search were networking, social media, and recruiting firms.

How did you find your current job?

Knowing now that the majority of people surveyed already had a specific company in mind is interesting in terms of talent recruitment and brand recognition. This shows that all companies (not just in tech, and not just Shyft) should really strive to curate their presence both physically within the community and online. We want to ensure we are reeling in the best talent available and continue to reach out to potential candidates who have learned about and are interested in our unique mission and the opportunities we have within our company. I also learned that most participants value company culture over salary and job titles. This is great news for Shyft, as company culture is a huge priority for us. We want to create a positive and supportive work environment where people can do their best work.

What was the most important factor in your decision to apply for your current job?

The ability to work remotely and/or a flexible hybrid schedule is important to most participants. This is also good news for Shyft, as we offer both remote and hybrid work options. We know that flexibility is important to our employees, and we want to make sure that we are accommodating their needs.

How important is the ability to work remotely and/or flexible hybrid?

Overall, I found the results of the survey to be very informative. I learned a lot about how developers are looking for jobs and I'm excited to use the insights from this survey to improve our hiring process and continue to make Shyft a more desirable place to work. If you're a developer who values company culture, flexibility, and the ability to make a difference, I encourage you to check out Shyft!

All in all, the Shyft Solutions booth at Nebraska.Code() was a great success. I was able to spend time meeting a lot of wonderful people and continue to learn about the tech community in Nebraska. This is an event we look forward to annually, and we can't wait to attend and sponsor again in 2024. See you guys next summer!!